SCOPE TEST | AIRGUN Mark Camoccio checks a new name in airgun optics that could be worth consideration
FOR
Well built, good spec
AGAINST
Not a lot
VERDICT
Overall a well made, versatile and well priced package Well worth a look
The Aztec has a minimum marked up range of 10 yards on the parallax drum, but I found this would actually come down to 8 yards which is handy. For the record, range markings over 20 yards came in around 5 yards less on the dial EG, 30 reads as 25 etc. Not a major problem, and fairly common. This will vary depending upon individual eyesight and conditions too.
Included is a useful 4” extension wheel for the parallax drum
USEABLE!
Aztec mounted on Brocock Bantam to give a size comparison
this central box was the perfect tool to bracket a 25mm kill when viewed at 8x at 25yds. It’s designed to offer ½-MOA values at 9x magnification, and 1-MOA at 18x, and this of course marries up nicely with the click values. Both are marked in red on the dial as a reminder. HFT is shot between 8 and 10x by the majority of competitors, and at this relatively low mag, most targets should appear reasonably clear!
The turrets are positive to open and close, and so are the clicks. The mechanism has the fairly common 60 clicks per revolution, and with 4.25 full revolutions on both windage and elevation, there’s plenty of adjustment range. I set parallax to just over 25 yards on the dial, and targets through the ranges were useably clear throughout. Having played around with usable magnifications 8-10x for HFT, and adjusting the parallax, I didn’t find the image differentiation that obviousas in blurring out at distance- a method used by some competitors these days, but clarity and the vibrancy of the image was marked. Edge to edge clarity with no aberrations is what we need, so perhaps a victim of its own quality! A pyramid of progressive windage dots is a nice touch, may be a little fine, but they all add to the wealth of reference points built in. That reticle is excellent, with bold enough stadia, yet precise in use- and the acid test- would I feel happy competing with it; most definitely!
Reticule pattern; lots of useful aiming marks, as can be seen
Red lines are marked on 9x and 18x denoting ½ and 1-MOA values; good idea!
CONCLUSION In short, I liked the Aztec. It feels well made, is nicely finished, and more importantly, it offers good glass for reasonable money, and an impressively clear, crisp image. It’s robust enough to be put on rimfire and centrefire rifles, and apparently one is currently being used comfortably on a Bushbuck .45 air rifle, which produces up to 600 ft/lbs; in the US, of course! Aztec Optics is planning another couple of models, but they’re in the pipeline and not expected for another 5-6 months. As for the spec on test here, it’s difficult not to be impressed; whether for hunting or HFT, especially with Aztec’s Lifetime warranty.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The latest piece of airgun glass, the Aztec Emerald 5.5-25x50; from the box, it’s got the lot!
n Model Aztec Emerald 5.5-25x50 n Reticle DYND-1 n Weight 25.4oz n Length 14.4” n Click Values ¼ MOA n Clicks Per Rotation 60 n Number of 4.25 elevation Full Rotations and windage n Field of View 19.1-4.2ft@ 100yds n Eye Relief 3.94 -.54” n Body Tube 30mm n Min Focus 10yds n Turret Type Push/pull lockable tactical n RRP £375 introductory offer/ £390 normal RRP including lens caps, sunshade, sidewheel and cleaning cloth n Contact: Gilbert Distribution, 01953 860323 info@gilbertdistribution.co.uk
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